Family
by madamwolf
Summary: AU. Harry goes looking for Remus after the battle at Hogwarts concerning something he wrote on his parents memorial.


**AN:** Okay Deathly Hallows spoilers… so if you haven't read it yet… well you should have read it by now! Not much though, it's just a real old fic I found on my memory card that I wrote when I finished DH, it was never finished so I decided to finish and give it a nice sappy ending, we all love sappy endings.

This also takes place after the book, so lets just pretend Remy didn't die and neither did Tonks... and Fred... he has no relevance in this story but it makes me feel better to think that he's alive. I actually made up a theory on how they all could have survived but it won't apply it here.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, if I did I can assure you Remus wouldn't have died (my God you should have seen me when I read that part of the book, four in the morning… crying my eyes out in my room…. I have little black smudges on that page of my book from my make-up)

* * *

Harry walked down the halls of Hogwarts; it had been about a week since the war had ended. Things were starting to go back to normal; slowly people were recovering from the deaths and the mayhem. They were staying at Hogwarts, rebuilding the parts of the school that had been ruined. But one thing was lingering in Harry's mind, when he and Hermione visited Godric's Hollow and he saw his old home, his parents home, their memorial came up and he read it. All around it he saw signatures and various notes to his parents. He wished he could have read them all but there was hardly time for it.

One he saw though caught his eye. It was signed Remus "Moony" Lupin, the message he wrote was not from everlasting ink, but he etched it in the sign. He didn't think Hermione had seen it, he remembered her saying 'they shouldn't have written on it'.

He was looking for the werewolf now, he had asked Tonks where he was but she wasn't sure, she was a little preoccupied trying to put Teddy to sleep. She just said that he told her he needed some air and he left to wander though the castle corridors. He thanked her and began his search for him, but he had a good idea on where Remus would have turned up.

After a few minutes of walking Harry walked to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room and was pleased to find out that he was right. His ex-professor was sitting in the front row leaning back in the seat with his feet up on the table. The room wasn't looking its best, there was some rubble on the ground and the skeleton hanging from the ceiling was scattered all throughout the room, only parts were still hanging. But it was still the same Defense room, he thought he would find Remus here. Harry walked up and took a seat beside him, it seemed that he didn't even notice Harry was there, his eyes were closed and his head was back.

Harry was about to announce his presence but to his surprise Remus spoke. "Hello, Harry." He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to him and gave a smile at Harry's shocked expression. "Harry I knew it was you the second you walked in, have you forgotten what I am?"

Harry shook his head and looked down slightly embarrassed.

"So, what's on your mind?" Remus asked taking his feet off the table and sitting properly.

"It's just something I saw... when Hermione and me visited Godric's Hollow. I saw my parent's house and there was a sign that came up, it was a memorial for them and I saw you etched your name and a message on it, you know Hermione didn't quite like all that."

"Well they were... are my friends, I had to. Besides over my years in school I found that etching your name lasts much longer then any ink you can write in."

"Yeah, well, it's what you wrote. You said you loved them and you loved me and that you would watch over me, and well to put it frank gain custody." Harry said and he watched as Remus's eyes looked down and he avoided Harry's gaze. "What happened?"

Remus's face fell as he began to explain. "You have to understand, Harry, I tried, Merlin knows I tried to gain custody of you. I didn't know about you having to be protected with the family blood and such."

"I understand that." Harry said quickly not wanting to make him feel to horrible. "But what about the rest, you said you'd watch over me, I didn't meet you until my third year."

"I couldn't," he said and harry could see the regret weld up in his eyes. "I wanted to visit you Harry I did but the ministry wouldn't allow it. They saw me as a danger to you, not only because I was a werewolf and thought I would take you back for my _Dark Lord_," Remus rolled his eyes. "But they thought I was good friends with Sirius Black and he was just arrested for the crimes, they didn't know how we weren't really on good terms at the time."

"Sirius and you weren't on good terms because he suspected you?" Harry asked making sure the information he knew was correct.

"Yes, he did something he would never admit to, but with all the werewolves joining Voldemort his family's prejudice caught up with him. Even when they found out my secret he was a little hostile, I know he didn't mean it though. But Harry, I'm sorry I was never able to come by, I'm sorry, if I tried just a little harder maybe I could have done something..."

"No, it wasn't your fault." Harry said sharply. "Not your fault the ministry is full of pricks and the werewolf registry is rubbish."

Remus smiled and laughed. "I couldn't agree with you more Harry, I remember with the first rise of Voldemort all the werewolves had to check in and get questioned, James and Sirius went with me, I was eighteen, if it wasn't for them I might have been thrown in Azkaban."

"Why?"

"They twisted words, took the fact was bitten by Greyback and morphed it into he was my mentor, my father figure, I worshiped him. James and Sirius came to my rescue." Remus smiled. "You know Harry, when I was in the Order all those years ago with your parents we had to make up wills. As you know that if something happened to your parents Sirius was to take you, in event of his death, I was to take you in. And when I wrote it I thought I would be getting custody, as you can imagine it came to me as a bit of a shock when I didn't. I suppose it's for the best, I couldn't have given you much of a life anyway."

"Don't say that."

"It's true, Harry."

Harry paused for a moment and looked down for a moment and then back up at Remus. "Um, Remus, does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Excuse me?" Remus asked.

"When we talked, at Sirius's place, are you mad at me? I'm sorry for what I said, I know I was out of line and –" Remus cut him off.

"No, Harry, you were right, you were absolutely right. I was trying to run, I wanted to leave. But I was just scared, I hope you can understand that. And Harry I'm so sorry you had to see it, I was hoping you weren't angry with me." he concluded with a desperate face.

"I'm not angry, not at all I lost my temper... But, Remus, saw what?" Harry asked confused.

"What I was like, what I looked like." Remus said, "I got angry, I'm sure you saw it."

Harry looked down and nodded remembering the look in Remus's face. It was something he had never seen before. He could have sworn his eyes went yellow and his canines grew.

"Harry, I'm sorry, you shouldn't have seen that but you did. It's not something I'm proud of but like I've said to you, you know what I am and you know what I can do. It frightens many people."

"I'm not scared." Harry said.

"I know you're not."

"Is it true what you said? About me never seeing you outside the Order and what it's really like?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Yes, Harry, I regret to inform you that it is, despite the good people you meet there are always people to counter it, many people hate me because they fear me, they believe that just with a touch and can make them a werewolf. Even some in this very school they only show me respect because they knew me before they found out or they feel obligated too."

"I can't believe people are like that, simply by touch? With all the facts we know now how can they still be afraid?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't mind it; I've been what I am for three decades. I suppose I'm not accustomed to anything else."

"That's terrible; no one should be accustomed to that."

"I've said this before and I'll say it again, Harry, you sound just like your father. If we walked in Diagon Alley during the war, everyone knew what I was then, at that time a werewolf was suppose to register and wear a pin on their robes with a serial number. I was 890341."

"I never knew that." Harry said.

"Yes, it was quite horrible. James and Sirius were always quite good at standing up for me..." Remus said. "I'm actually surprised it didn't come down to that this time, I suppose it's the ministry, they just don't care."

"But they care enough to put all those restrictions on you…" Harry mused. "But," he began with a small nervous laugh. "That's all finished and done with, Voldemort's dead, the laws against werewolves will soon be reversed what with Fudge gone, everything'll be fine."

"Hopefully…" Remus said.

"Are you kidding! Kingsley's Minister now! Everything should be fine... it will be fine." There was a small pause between the two and Harry began chewing on his lower lip, he had been avoiding asking the older man something for a while now, ever since he found out what was engraved on the memorial. He managed to even get off the topic completely, but maybe that wasn't a good thing because now he had to get back to it and that would be hard. "Um… Remus, I know I'm an adult now, technically, but I still could use someone around… a sort of father figure…"

Remus slowly began turning his head in Harry's direction.

"And you did say that in your will you're to take care of me after Sirius's death so I was just wondering…"

"That's right, I did say that."

"Since I'm seventeen you don't have to adopt me officially, you just have to… well…"

Remus smiled and turned to face Harry fully. "Yeah, I did say that and I'm a man of my word, you've always been like a son to me Harry ever since Lily and James bought you home from the hospital, even when I saw you on the train for the first time third year, you were my son, you don't know how much I had to repress the urge to hug you then."

"So… you're willing then?"

"I'm more then willing Harry." Remus said. "I finally get to keep my word to your parents and I finally get watch you grow up… even though you don't have much further to go." He reached forward and ruffled Harry's messy hair.

"I'm only seventeen, and I didn't have too much of a childhood what with fighting Voldemort all the time, I'd say making up for lost time is in order." Harry said still thinking the conversation was a tad awkward. "In the Muggle world, you know, I'm not an adult until I'm eighteen we could do things there."

"Miniature golfing." Remus laughed and soon Harry joined in. "But that's a wonderful idea, go to the Muggle world, no one will recognize you, no werewolf prejudice, could hang out there ever once and a while."

"I'd like that." Harry nodded and after a short pause said. "I think this is the part where we hug."

"I'm pretty sure it is." Remus agreed and simultaneously the two embraced.


End file.
